Japan’s first plastering competition, “The 1st Plasterer Art Competition” was held in October, 2006. The works at the competition were not Kote-e (plaster relief) or engraving, but approximately fifty-centimeter square plastering art frames (designated as “THE SACAN”). Diversified ways of plastering finish on walls were thoroughly represented within the frames by plasterers, using their refined artistry and elaborate techniques.

The 1st place

The 2nd place

The 3rd place

The 4th place

Consequently, many creative works were submitted. The grand-prize-winning work made good use of the technique of transferring patterns drawn on the surface of water with Chinese ink, which is not a usual plastering technique. The competition was the first of its kind in Japan, and 45 works, attractive to any eye as a “wall” or a work of “art” were selected after strict examination.

The 1st Plasterer Art Competition was extremely well received, not only by peer plasterers and the Plasterers’ Association, but also from people from various fields who had seen the exhibition. Immediately after the exhibition we received requests for a second competition. After one year of preparation, “The 2nd Plasterer Art Competition” was held under the aegis of the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Ishikawa Prefecture, Kanazawa City, and the Japan Plasterers’ Association for the first time in Japan. It was held at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, which was built with the concept of “a museum like a park, open to all citizens”. It is located in the center of Kanazawa, famous for traditional arts and crafts.

The 1st place

The 1st place

The 2nd place

The 3rd place

As many as 165 works were submitted by plasterers from all over the country, and 99 works were selected after strict examination. The work with a design of great originality, making the best use of plaster’s natural material was awarded the grand prize.

The 4th place

The 4th place

The 5th place

The 5th place

During the exhibition, over 5,500 people visited and had the opportunity of touching the various works created manually by plasterers through their skillful use of a trowel, and the visitors recognized anew the “warmth” or “taste” created with the plastering finish. The exhibition also expanded the possibilities for making use of traditional plastering techniques passed on since ancient times, and expressing them in the form of “ a piece of plaster in an art frame” as a work of modern art.